


Halloween in Thirteen

by Chzu



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Book 3: Mockingjay, F/F, Fluff, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Holidays, Humor, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 12:44:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8328466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chzu/pseuds/Chzu
Summary: Johanna and Katniss go trick-or-treating in District Thirteen.A rework of a fic I wrote last year. :-)





	

"Katniss, have you ever heard of Halloween?"

Johanna’s question broke the silence between the two Victors. They had spent their evening together reading over their military studies, not a word spoken until this moment. Katniss picked her head up, looking at the older girl with a curious expression. “I don’t think so. What is that?”

The pages of Johanna's book fluttered as she closed it, setting it on her lap. Her attention toward Katniss was quickly prioritized over studying. “It’s this pre-war holiday that people used to celebrate," she exclaimed, using emphatic hand gestures as she spoke, "you know, before Panem was ever even around. People used to dress up in costumes, wear masks and stuff, and go to parties or knock on stranger’s doors for free candy.”

Katniss raised her eyebrows. “That sounds like something the people in the Capitol would do.”

“True,” Johanna nodded, narrowing her eyes, a focused expression upon her face as she recalled further details on the holiday, “but, it wasn’t just the rich people doing it. People of all classes celebrated Halloween. All ages, too; kids, adults, _blah blah_. It was a big thing every year, back then.”

“Hm." Nodding her head, Katniss replied, “I can see why they don’t do that in Panem. The Districts don't have the resources for people to hand out sugar to strangers.” She looked back to Johanna, whose previously miserable expression was shifting into quite the sly grin. “Wait, why did you bring this up, Johanna? You're not planning on celebrating that, are you?”

Johanna stood from her District-issued bedding. Her eyes were alight with mischief as she sauntered over to Katniss, leaning onto her bed. “Why not, Everdeen?" came her playful inquiry. "What exactly would be wrong with that?”

Katniss felt a warm blush creeping onto her face when Johanna moved closer. Clearing her throat, she spoke up, “Johanna, we can’t just celebrate _old holidays_ like that. We could get in trouble – besides, I don’t even think Thirteen has any candy. Have you seen the food down here? _It’s_ …” Her words were cut off when Johanna placed her finger against her lips.

“ _Ssssshhh_ ,” Johanna hissed, her impish smirk only widening. An action like this didn't calm the stirring feeling within Katniss. Johanna had no issue with continuing, “just think about it, Katniss. Thirteen is _awful_. It’s super fucking gloomy. But, here we are, together, and I just told you _all_ about this really weird, fun-sounding holiday that people used to celebrate.” She motioned around the room, likely for dramatic effect. “We don’t need the candy. We could still dress up, wear costumes just to screw with people.”

Pushing Johanna's finger away from her lips, Kantiss shook her head. “What would we wear? I can’t imagine you brought your _tree costumes_ back from the Capitol.”

Johanna grimaced. “ _Ew_ , no. That's disgusting. I wouldn’t wear those again, even if I had them. We could make our own costumes!" Bony digits found healthier ones when Johanna grasped Katniss' hands. "Come on, Katniss, this will be _fun_. This is the first time in forever that I’m living with someone else. I need to do crazy shit with my roommate, otherwise this whole thing will be wasted.”

A light sigh passed through Katniss’ lips. Johanna's tone of voice had become increasingly pleading, which in itself was unusual, considering her usually tough facade. Trying to ignore the sweet _warmth_ of Johanna's hands, Katniss finally nodded her head. “Fine. I guess, as long as we have the rest of tonight off, we can throw your _Halloween_ celebration.”

Johanna let go of Katniss' hands, clapping her own together rather enthusiastically. "Yes! Fuckin’ a, Katniss! This is going to be so awesome!”

Out of all of the time Katniss had spent with Johanna, she'd never seen her so enthusiastic. Sure, there was training, and the rare satisfaction that Johanna would show after a long day of accomplishments, but this was different. Odd as it was to admit, Johanna was actually being… _cute_. “Right,” Katniss replied, “So, what are we going to dress up as? It’s not like Thirteen has a costume department. Unless we’re going as a couple of confused people wearing jumpsuits.”

“No,” Johanna quickly shook her head, “then, we’d just be as _wacky_ as everyone else here. I _actually_ have a few ideas up my sleeve.”

“Go on, then,” Katniss prompted.

As if on cue, Johanna pulled a marker out from the pocket of her pants. “Bam! Take a look at this. I stole this earlier.”

“You’re going to dress as a kleptomaniac?” Katniss asked. Though her tone could have easily been mistaken for sarcasm, there was more confusion in her voice than anything.

Johanna's response to Katniss was of slight annoyance. “No, _brainless_. I’m going to draw on your face.”

“I don’t think so," Katniss scoffed, "I’m not going around with your scribbles on my face.”

Johanna had a rather offended look on her face, at that. Furrowing her brows, she waved the pen in Katniss' direction. “How _dare_ you, Everdeen? Have I ever wronged you? Like, once?”

“A lot of times. You've kind of _threatened_ me on multiple occasions, Johanna. There's a lot of wronging that's gone on."

Johanna opened her mouth, as if to make a point, then closed it, shaking her head. She took a step back from Katniss before speaking again. “Okay, well, this is different. Let me draw on your face, Everdeen. I'm not going to threaten you this time, okay? I'm not hurting you.”

“Draw on your own face, if you want to draw on faces that badly.”

“I can’t do that. It wouldn’t be the same. Just trust me on this, all right? I’m not going to draw a dick on your face, I promise. I just want to hone my costuming skills, and this would be a lot easier than looking at the mirror and doing it on myself.”

There seemed to be a real sincerity within Johanna's tone, almost a sort of sensitivity that Katniss hadn't ever picked up on. Perhaps Johanna wasn't as untrustworthy as she'd thought. Maybe, she just felt lonely and wanted a pleasant distraction from everything she'd gone through. “Fine. Go for it – but, please, keep any genitals off of my face. Off of _any_ part of me.”

“Any part? Are you telling you don't have _anything_ down there?"

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

"All right, Katniss. No genitals _anywhere_. You got it, captain,” Johanna grinned widely as she uncapped the marker. She leaned forward, beginning to draw on Katniss.

“Johanna, that tickles–”

“Hold still! I can’t do this if you’re moving around so much.”

It took a little bit of squabbling and squirming around, but eventually Johanna had finished her deed. She pulled back, taking the marker back into her hands as she closed it, sealing the cap. Another step back followed so she could get a proper look at her work, from a distance. She appeared rather proud of her creation. “I’d say it’s done, **_Cat-_** _niss_.”

Katniss opened her eyes, bewildered. “What did you call me? Why the emphasis?”

Johanna snickered. “Go into the bathroom. Go look at the mirror.”

Getting up from her bed, Katniss trod cautiously to the bathroom of their shared living compartment. She turned on the lights, letting them flicker on as she stared into the mirror. The face that greeted her was her own, but with much more marker on it, a cat-like design drawn all over. Essentially, Johanna had drawn whiskers and a cat nose on her. It looked ridiculous, Katniss thought, but as she stepped out of the bathroom, she turned to see Johanna waiting, _watching_. The anticipation in Johanna’s eyes made it far too difficult to say no to. “You made me into a cat?”

“Did you catch my pun?” Johanna meaningfully inclined her head toward Katniss.

“Oh, no, I definitely got it. Why a cat?”

Johanna gawked at Katniss, as if Katniss had said something absolutely incomprehensible. “You _really_ don’t know?”

“Humor me, Johanna.”

“I made you a cat because you’re a stubborn loner,” Jo casually explained, and though her tone lacked any venom, it was clear that she was being her typical, mocking self. “I think it’s fitting for you.”

Katniss narrowed her eyes, a bit turned off by Johanna’s compliment. Still, it was almost surprising that Johanna hadn’t explained the very obvious cat pun in her name. “Gee, _thanks_. What are you going to wear?”

“Well, that’s obvious,” Johanna started, “I’m going to wear, _um_ …” her tone was confident at first, though her uncertainty soon became evident. “um…. _shit_.”

“You’re wearing _shit_ ,” Katniss mocked. “Nice decision.”

“ ** _No_** , Katniss,” Johanna snapped back at her, putting extra emphasis on the _no_. “I can’t think of a costume for myself. I don’t exactly know what people _wore_ back then. I’m not some _magical historian_ when it comes to traditions that nobody cares about anymore.”

“You could be a dog to go with my cat,” was Katniss’ suggestion as she rolled her shoulders into a small shrug. “I could draw dog ears on your… _head_?”

Running a hand over the peach fuzz that had begun to sprout on her head, Johanna sounded a bit indignant. “As much as I love dogs, my head is not a canvas for you to draw on. Plus, I _don’t_ …” she hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. “I’d have to clean it off, that’s… _not_ something I want to do. I’m not going with the marker.”

Katniss gave a small nod. “Noted. I’m guessing you’re also against dressing up as a tree again, huh?”

Johanna let out a short, loud cackle. “Ha! No way in hell am I dressing up as a fucking tree again! Try something else. Be more _creative_.”

“What happened to those ideas you had up your sleeve?”

“They fell out of my sleeve, Everdeen,” Johanna shrugged, “All I had was the marker.”

An idea struck Katniss, and as it did, she quickly walked to the other side of the room. “Wait, hold on. I’ve got something.” Sliding open one of their living compartment’s drawers, she pulled out one of the spare bed sheets. “This is  _perfect_.”

“What?” Johanna glanced over at Katniss, bewildered. Katniss didn’t respond, she just opened up the folded sheet, ruffling it in the air as it came undone.

“It’s your turn to hold still,” Katniss stated after a moment.

Johanna had a bewildered look in her eyes, though she simply gave another shrug, letting Katniss do as she pleased. Katniss was quick to take both ends of the sheet, bringing them over Johanna’s shoulders and tying them into a loose knot around Johanna’s neck, giving the sheet the appearance of a cape.

“You’re a superhero, now,” Katniss stated, proudly. God, she felt like such a _dork_ just saying that.

Johanna raised her eyebrows at Katniss. “I’m pretty sure superheroes don’t _kill_ people.”

“You did save my life, though,” Katniss suggested. 

At these words, Katniss noticed a slight blush upon Johanna’s cheeks. Johanna averted her gaze for a moment, scratching at the back of her neck and looking down at the floor. “Yeah,” Johanna replied, clearing her throat, “I guess I did.” She waved her hand dismissively, at that, shaking her head. “ _Anyways_. I think we’re all set with our shitty costumes. Do you think we should bring like, a bag, or something?”

Katniss gave a little shrug. “I don’t think we’ll need them. If we _can_ successfully _extort_ anything from anyone, I doubt we’ll need a whole bag for the things we get.” They’d be lucky to get a tissue or something as simple as a pen. Why Johanna wanted to run around asking people for things, she wasn’t sure; it seemed entirely useless. Yet, there she was, going along with it anyhow.

“We’re all set, then,” Johanna affirmed, running to the door of their living compartment. “Come on, Katniss! Let’s go have some fun!”

Katniss followed along, making official their Halloween adventure.

 

* * *

 

The first door they stopped at was, _logically_ , the Everdeen residence, in which Katniss’ mother and sister lived. Of course, it wasn't a far walk at all, but Johanna still made a point of knocking loudly on the door. 

They were greeted by Miss Everdeen, who looked nothing short of confused. “Well, this is an unexpected visit,” she commented, gazing between the two Victors. “Hi, Katniss. What are you and Johanna doing at this hour?” A pause. “Johanna, why are you wearing a bed sheet?”

“It’s not a sheet,” Johanna replied, her tone of voice overly dramatic as she flipped the sheet tied around her neck. “It’s a _super awesome cape_.”

Katniss’ mother didn’t seem to understand what Johanna was getting at, but she smiled regardless. “Oh.”

“Sorry, mother. We’re celebrating some old holiday that existed before Panem was founded,” Katniss explained, motioning to her expert cat marker-makeup. “We’re supposed to go from door to door, asking for things.” She exchanged a glance at Johanna, who was fidgeting with the bed sheet cape. “Right, Johanna?”

Johanna turned her attention from her makeshift costume back to Katniss’ mother “Yep, that’s right. So, do you have anything to give us?” 

Katniss shot a silent glare at Johanna, feeling that the older girl had been nothing short of impolite to her mother. It was a look that would have said  _‘Johanna, cut that out’_ , had there been any words to it. Johanna, of course, didn’t seem to mind at all. _Of course_.

“I’m afraid not,” Miss Everdeen shook her head, “Unless you’d like some of Buttercup’s food.”

Johanna grinned, nudging Katniss with her elbow. “We’ll pass.”

“Speaking of that cat,” Katniss began, looking at her mother. “Do you know where Prim is? I was thinking she might enjoy doing this ridiculous stuff with us.”

“She’s off working in the hospital,” Miss Everdeen replied, a briefly contemplative look upon her face. “She said she might be late tonight. Maybe you two could pay a visit to her, though. I’m sure she’d _love_  to see your costumes.”

A smile showed upon Katniss’ face. “We’ll have to do that. Come on, Johanna, let’s move on.”

 

* * *

 

“Trick or treat!” Johanna hollered at the closed door.

Boggs opened that very door door to face the Victors, looking at them incredulously. “Soldier Everdeen, Soldier Mason,” he nodded to them. “What are you doing at this hour?”

“We’re trick or treating,” was Katniss’ reply, an apologetic smile on her face. “It’s an old tradition. Don’t ask.”

“I should make it very clear that I don’t have any... _treats_ to give away,” Boggs replied, a hint of amusement on his face.

“None to give away?” Johanna questioned, pointing her intense brown eyes at him. “Do you have anything at all? Are you not going to share with us, the _best soldiers in training ever_?”

Katniss lightly tugged on Johanna’s cape. “Johanna, let’s not do this here. We can find someone else to bug. Don’t mind her, Boggs.”

Johanna rolled her eyes. “I’m just _curious_.”

“Now’s not the time, Johanna,” Katniss shook her head, bringing Johanna away from Boggs’ home. "I'll see you later, Boggs."

So, the two of them moved on, going from door to door at the homes of strangers and friends alike. Just about everyone gave the two of them bizarre looks, judging them silently. Some judged them _not_ so silently. Many people were afraid of Johanna, but that didn’t deter her at all.

Next up was Katniss’ escort. When she answered the door to Johanna’s continued loud knocking, she looked at the Victors wide-eyed, as if she’d witnessed something horrifying. “Katniss!” Her gasp came out in a very _Capitol_  accented manner. “Darling, what are you two  _wearing_? Is this your attempt at fixing up those drab jumpsuits?”

“Trick or treat!” Johanna intercepted, purposely getting in front of Katniss so she could soak up Effie’s attention. Effie seemed a bit uncomfortable with it.

“Yes, Johanna, I see you,” Effie replied. If she had been a bird, her feathers would have been incredibly ruffled by now. “Are you... celebrating Halloween?”

Johanna’s eyes lit up. “You know about Halloween?”

Effie nodded. “Well, of course I do! I mean, it’s not commonly celebrated in Panem, but it's been mentioned in the Capitol, a time or two. Did you come here thinking I’d have something for you?”

“Definitely,” came Johanna's response as she rested a hand on her hip. “You’re from the Capitol, aren’t you? You probably have a whole stash of sweets.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t,” Effie frowned at Johanna, though she softened her gaze as Katniss approached again. “I’m sorry, darling, but I wasn’t allowed to bring anything like that with me into Thirteen. You and your friend are going to have to look somewhere else.”

“That’s okay, Effie. Thanks for humoring us.” A ghost of a smile played at Katniss’ lips. “We’ll look elsewhere.”

“Nevertheless, I wish you two luck on your holiday celebrations!” Effie grinned. “May you find _something_  interesting in your adventures.”

“Thanks again,” Katniss waved goodbye as her escort closed the door.

“We’re not getting _any_  luck,” Katniss heard Johanna say from behind her as they continued to walk. She turned to face the shorter woman, whose expression gave away her disappointment.

"I know. How about we visit Prim in the meantime? You know, for a break from all of this walking around?”

The dejection on Johanna’s expression eased a bit, almost as if she’d been defeated -- but, no, not yet. No defeat for Johanna Mason. “All right, then. Lead the way.”

So, Katniss _did_  lead the way, and after a bit of walking and elevator-boarding, Katniss and Johanna had arrived at the hospital. When they entered the vicinity, Katniss felt a harsh bump from an elbow. She looked over to see Johanna winking at her. “Do you think they’ll allow cats over here? I mean, you are a _pretty kitty_.”

“Very funny, Johanna,” Katniss deadpanned, though there was a subtle amount of amusement upon her face, in spite of her words. She motioned toward Johanna, suggesting she follow. Making her way to the front desk, she got the attention of the woman working there.“Hey. Excuse me.” 

“Can I help you?” the receptionist lazily looked up from whatever she’d been reading prior to the interaction.

“I need to see Primrose,” came Katniss’ voice, curious in tone. “ _Primrose Everdeen_. She’s here, right?” She made a quick glance at Johanna, who was messing with the pen on the receptionist’s desk. Writing something down on the notepad. Katniss barely leaned over to see what it was, just to shake head. _That’s not the place for doodling, Johanna. Especially not the time to doodle insulting caricatures of President Snow._

“Right this way,” the receptionist finally replied. Once she’d lead the duo to Katniss’ sister, she lazily stalked back to her place at the front desk. Katniss trotted over to her sister, tapping her on the back of the shoulder. Surprised, Primrose turned around.

Katniss’ voice was warm -- nostalgic, even. “Hey, little duck.”

“Hey, little...” Prim trailed off, unsure of how to respond for a moment. “ _cat?_ ”

Katniss had already explained the whole process enough times. Because of this, she looked to Johanna. Johanna gave a small nod, speaking for Katniss. “I did that to her face. She’s supposed to be a cat. Kind of like the one you brought in from Twelve, but with less _tuna breath_.”

Primrose covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. “That makes sense, I guess. You look good, Katniss,” she complimented, looking over to her older sister. “Have you shown Buttercup your face?”

Again, the mention of Buttercup drew little enthusiasm from Katniss. Still, she did what she could to give her little sister the benefit of the doubt. “I might confuse him. I mean, Johanna did such a good job, he might be mistaken and think I’m a lady cat to get _smitten_  over.” As she said this, Johanna wiggled her eyebrows, though she said nothing to go along with it. Katniss was grateful that Johanna had the decency not to speak crudely around her sister.

“Oh,” Prim clasped her hands together understandingly, “we wouldn’t want a smitten kitten for my sister.”

“That’s right,” Katniss replied, just before following up with a question, “Prim, Johanna and I are messing around with this old holiday called Halloween. You put on a costume and run around, acting all silly. Do you want to join us?”

“I’d love to,” Primrose replied, nodding her head, “I’ll be free in about ten minutes. I mean, I don’t have a costume. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s okay,” Katniss nodded. “Maybe Johanna can improvise something for you. She’s _great_  at that. Right, Johanna?”

Johanna gave Katniss a thumbs up. “Yeah, Katniss, you bet your sweet a--” catching herself, she was careful to mind her language around the youngest Everdeen. “Yeah. I can definitely do something. It’ll be  _awesome_.”

“Great! Thanks, Johanna!” Primrose gave a bright smile at the older Victor before beginning to walk back toward her working area. “I’ll see you two soon.”

“See you, Prim!” Katniss called out before turning toward Johanna. “I hope you’re not pissed that I invited her. Thirteen’s been so depressing, and I want her to have some kind of fun, and I...”

Seeing that Katniss was having trouble justifying herself, Johanna cut the other woman off. “It’s cool, Katniss. You don’t need to explain everything.”

Katniss sighed relieved. “Thanks. You actually seem like you’re good with kids. I’m surprised.”

“Surprised?” Johanna tilted her head, thick eyebrows raised as she stared Katniss down. “You’re not the only person who’s had a sibling, Katniss.”

Her words caused to Katniss grow quiet. “Did you...?”

“Yes, I _did_. I know how to act around kids, brainless.”

Katniss frowned. “I’m sorry.”

“Tone down that pity,” with her eyes closed, Johanna found Katniss’ hand, giving it a reassuring little squeeze. “We’re not going to shit on the fun times we’re having. Not now. “

Katniss relaxed a bit under Johanna’s touch, though truthfully, her grip was a little _tight_. She wasn’t sure that the older Victor realized that, but she appreciated the reassurance. “Right. So, what are you going to do for Prim?”

“I’m definitely giving her a matching cat face,” Johanna decided, “she’ll be the baby sister kitten to your regular-sized cat self. It’ll be perfect.”

“Again with the cats,” Katniss chuckled softly. “That will do. ‘You still have that marker you stole?”

Johanna nodded immediately. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t lose my only possession. Even if it isn’t _technically_ mine.”

The part about her _only possession_  tugged at Katniss’ heart strings, though she said nothing of it. She knew Johanna hated being pitied, or having anything resembling pity directed at her; she’d have to make a mental note to get Johanna some sort of actual gift, some sort of token at some point. One that wouldn’t have to be taken from another person who already owned it. “You’re so _careful_ with your stolen things.”

“I know,” Johanna boasted, “I have a _gift_.”

They waited in contented silence before Primrose returned, ready to go with them. “Hi!”

“Mini Everdeen,” Johanna raised her hand, waving to the younger of the Everdeen siblings. “hey! I’m going to make you a cat like your sister. That’s cool with you, right?”

“Yeah, that’s ‘ _cool_ ’ with me,” Prim grinned, stepping closer to Johanna, “go ahead.”

Johanna nodded, pulling out her stolen marker as she began to use her _skillful artistic abilities_  on Prim’s face. “Now, I don’t have a mirror on me, so you’re just going to have to trust me here. You’ll match _brainle_ \-- I mean, _Katniss_ , so it’ll be fine.”

Katniss sneered at Johanna’s _almost-nickname_  for her, deciding to strike up conversation with her sister. “So, how was working in the hospital today? Did you learn anything new?”

“They’re teaching me how to _professionally_  take vitals. It’s all pretty easy, but it’s going good,” Prim replied, resisting the ticklish urges of Johanna’s marker. 

It didn’t take long for Johanna to finish, after which she took a few steps back, looking at the girl with approval on her expression. “There you go,” she said, “You’re all set!”

“Thank you,” Primrose replied before looking over to Katniss, a playful expression on her face. “Now it’s like our whole family is cats, Katniss -- well, with the exception of mom.”

“Maybe she’ll join us someday,” Katniss remarked lightheartedly.

“For now, though,” Johanna nudged Katniss with her elbow, “we have to go ask more strangers for free stuff. Let’s go!”

As Johanna crept through the many living areas of Thirteen, the Everdeen sisters were sure to follow. They went from door to door, asking for things like candy and treats. Of course, they ended up getting nothing of value, and nothing edible, but what mattered the most was that they had _fun_. Katniss was delighted to see that Primrose was having fun, and Johanna was glad to not to be alone, and to have something interesting to do. Their makeshift trick-or-treating eventually came to an end when one of the District Thirteen officials interrupted their shenanigans, warning them that it was against the rules to prance from living area to living area in demand of free goods. So, Katniss apologized, telling them that it wouldn’t happen again, and she walked home with Prim, saying goodnight. 

With Johanna by her side, Katniss returned to her living compartment.

“We can’t do that again, Johanna,” was the first thing that came out of Katniss’ mouth. “We almost got in serious trouble.”

“No shit,” Johanna chuckled, finally freeing herself of her bed sheet cape. “We’re _obviously_ not doing that again. What matters is that we _did_  it. It happened, and frankly, I had an awesome time.”

Katniss tried to fight the smile that crept upon her lips. She ultimately ended failing to hide it. “Yeah, we did.” She hesitated for a moment before continuing, “ _I_... I enjoyed it too. It was ridiculous, but I enjoyed it.”

Johanna appeared genuinely cheerful, a far cry from her typical hate-filled self. “Good,” she replied. It came as a pleasant surprise to Katniss that Johanna was capable of enjoying herself; she’d always seemed so miserable and full of rage. Either that, or entirely sad -- though, this was quite different from any of her usual moods. Her attitude was infectious, it seemed.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to clean off this marker on my face. No offense, but it’s starting to feel weird,” Katniss chuckled as she headed off toward the bathroom.

“None taken. I’ll be here,” Johanna nodded, plunking down onto her bed. When Katniss returned, Johanna was in that same very spot, and she appeared to be heavily focused on picking at her nails. Katniss grabbed her attention simply by sitting next to her.

“Thanks for tonight, Johanna,” Katniss began softly, placing a hand on the shorter woman’s shoulder. “I don’t usually get to do things like this. Ever.” It felt nice to be seen as a person for once, and not as some _all-powerful rebellion symbol_.

Johanna picked her head up, turning her attention from her nails back to Katniss. “Hey, no problem. Thanks for going along with the whole thing. We’re probably never going to be allowed to casually celebrate Halloween here again, but we made it count.”

Katniss let out a small laugh. “It was a bit thrilling, though -- and amusing. I don’t think anyone from this district knows what that holiday is.”

“Most people don’t,” Johanna winked. “Which makes us extra cool for knowing about it.”

“I didn’t peg you for a history buff, Johanna. How’d you even learn about Halloween?”

"Some dusty old books, mostly,” Johanna idly fidgeted with the current sheet of her bed, which hadn’t been used for any sort of costume.

“Do you know any other holidays like that?” Katniss asked.

“I do, as a matter of fact,” Johanna inclined her head toward Katniss, raising her eyebrows at her. “Why? You up for confusing more people?”

“Maybe some other time,” Katniss gave Johanna a small nudge. She then glanced around the room, quiet for a few brief moments, before speaking up again. “I should probably get to bed, the lights will be going out soon.” She gave a small glance at Johanna before leaning over to plant a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks again for this. Happy Halloween, Johanna.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this year-old fic, folks! Have a happy Halloween!


End file.
